Frivolous
Gay Marriage Opponent Asks U.S. Court to Halt Unions
Mon Jun 7, 2004 06:25 PM ET
By Mark Wilkinson
BOSTON (Reuters) - A gay marriage opponent asked a Massachusetts appeals court on Monday to put the state's supreme court decision lifting a ban on same-sex marriage on hold until voters decide the issue.
Mathew Staver, head of the Liberty Counsel, a conservative legal group, told the First Circuit Court of Appeals that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court had overstepped its authority by changing the definition of marriage.[P6: and this clown would have the appeals court overstep ITS authority by overruling the state Supreme Court.]
"The SJC impermissibly amended the constitution's definition of marriage, which is universally recognized as the union of a man and a woman," Staver told three appeals judges. "It has violated the separation of powers."
Staver said the legislature's powers had been undercut by the court's Nov. 18 decision, which lifted the state ban on gay marriage after finding it unconstitutional.
